Industrial truck



April 11, 1933. ABBE 1,903,431

INDUSTRIAL TRUCK Filed March 5, 1931 v l 44 4' z 47 j// I. r Q Z L r 4a 1; new? Qww/ntoc j 11,-@111, Ada A3176 ?atented 11, 1933 um'rao s'ra'rss PATENT OFFICE Jmwm I. ma. OHIO, 819x03 T0 was nnwnn. I nut-r310 oonm. 0! mm), 0310, A. OOBPOBL'I'ION'OI' OHIO Application illcll larch 5, 1981- Serial he. snow.

This invention relates to an industrial truck and es 'ially to that type of truck having a loa engaging platform adapted to support a load and transport it from place 5 to place. In industrial establishments, it is often desirable to providea truck which is capable of making comparativel sharpturns in restricted passageways. 11 many industrial installations, the passageways between the aisles, through which the truck must pass, are comparatively small. Indeed, as is sometimes the case, these passa eways are too narrow to permit the truck and Its load to turn therein, making it necessary for the 15 loaded truck to detour or take a longer route to its"destination. Such trucks are so designed that the platform supports the load throughout substantially its entire length. Hence it is evident that such industrial trucks must take a circuitous route on its return sageway, the load en aging platform, w 'ch is built to accommodate a maximum sized load, prevents the truck from using the restricted assageways. Therefore, the general object of this invention is to provide an industrial truck with a load engag ng platform, adapted to carry maximum sized loads, but at the same time arranged to permit the truck to be turned within a shorter turning radius when it is either unloaded or 'when it carries a smaller load than the maximum and therefore permit the truck to be turned in passageways in which it cannnot be turned when the truck is loaded with a maximum sizedload.

Another object is to provide an industrial truck with a platform which may be adjusted to the size or length of the load.

A more specific object is to provide an industrial truck with a platform, which is telescopic in nature, so that the size of the pway within which the truck may turn, depends upon the length of the load and wherein the load will be engaged by the load supporting surface of the for substam tially its entire len or maximum lengt s.

Other objects of this invention will befor loads of come apparent from the followin description relating to a preferred em ent Referring again to the drawing, wherein p an industrial truck equipped with a preferred form of my improved load supporting plat form is shown, there is a mam chassis or frame 10, having mounted thereon at its forward end, a pair of dri wheels 12, and 79 adjacent its rear end a pair 0 relatively small load carryin wheels 14.. All of the wheels in the embodiment shown are di 'bly arranged so as to turn about individua vertical axes, as'indicated in Fig. 2, such an ment permitting the truck to be turned about in a comparatively short turning radius.

The forward end of the truck supports the Hing mechanism and the various oplerapro tor controls. Extending upwardly the forward end of the truck is a frame structure, generally indicated at 15, which comprises 'a support for a suitable battery or other power supplying mechanism and oer-' tain o the operating controls. In the embodiment illustrated, a housing 18 is mounted on the frame structure 15 and is adapted to engage a suitable batte Beneath the housing 16 is a motor 17, w oh, by suitable driving connections, reduction ferentlal mechanism, etc., generally indicated at 19, connects the motor 17 to the, driving wheels 12, the various operator s controls, including the steering handle 20, the motor controller 21, and pivoted platform members 22, (which comprise part of the control) are mounted in the extreme forward ends of the 13 i a. a; 1 a" .11

our. suppo pa orm gene yv indicated at 25, is supported bya 26, so mounted .that it may be raisedor lowered to engage and. raise a load. In the construction shown, the carriage 26 carries a pair of rollers 28 at either side thereof which rollers are adapted to engage vertically extending guideways 29, carried adjacent the rear end of'the frame 15.

The carriage 26 is raised and lowered on the ciuideways 29 by means of a cable 30, whi its uppermost end as at 31, and passes down around a sheave 32, carried, by the carriage 26, and'then extending upwardly around a sheave 33, carried by the guideways 29, adjacent their upward ends, and from there to a winding drum 34, which is driven by a suitable motor 35, mounted on the housing 16.

The platform is so constructed that it may be lengthened to support loads of a maximum length, or may be shortened when it w is either unloaded or so porting a load of a less than maum lengt As shown in the drawing, the platform -25 comprises a main platform member 40, and a supplementary platform member 41, one of w ich is arranged in telesco ic relationship with the other. In the em odiment shown, the main platform 40 comprises a relatively flat plate, 43, which has downwardly extending sides 44. The sides 44 may comprise, as shown, angle bars 45, which are riveted or otherwise 1 secured to the underside of the'plate 43. This structure or main platform all) is rigidly secured by suitable belts or rivets, (not shown), to the carriage 2G, and is of such length that it will permit the truck to be turned in narrow passageways, as shown in Fig Q. a

The supplementary platform, or extenslon 41,v is telescopically arranged relative to the main platform 40, and comprises a flat plate 46, the under surfaces of which slidably engage the mainplatform 40. The late 46 is provided with downwardly exten ing sides 47, which embrace the sides 44 of the main platform 40, in such a manner that the sup- Elementary platform 41 will he *uided therey when it is extended. The si cs 47 extend slightly below the sides of the main platform 40, and are provided with inwardly ex tending ribs or bars 48, whichunderlie the sides 44 of the main platform. 46, and when the supplementary latforxn 41 is in the extended position, (s own in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2) prevents the letter from tiltin relative to the main platform 7 cans are provided to prevent the supplemental platform 41 from being inadvertently entirely withdrawn from the main platform 401 To this end, the bars 48 extend only a relatively short distance along the flanges 47, and at t e forward ends thereof, and when extended to the maximum limit, the forward edges 50 of these bars engage stop members 51, one of which is secured to each of the flanges 44 by suitable bo ts 52, the arrangeis secured to the guideway adjacent xfinent being the same on both sides of the platorm. p

From the foregoing description, it is apparent that I have provided an industrial truck with a load engaging surface, which may underlie substant1a ly the entire length of loads of various sizes, and which platform wherein many of the passageways are such that they necessitate the trucks taking a circuitous route to reach their destination when loaded with a maximum load.

I claim: v a

1. In an industrial truck, a main frame,

wheels dirigibly arranged to support said frame, a vertical guideway mounted on said frame, a carriage slidably arranged for vertical movement in said guideway and having a forwardly extending member, means adapted to raise and lower said carriage a load supporting platform ri 'dly secure to the upper surface of the orwardly extending member and having downwardly, extending flanges embracin the sides of the carriage member and the *ame, a supplemental latform carried by the first named lat cm, the two platforms being arranged so that they may be slid one relative to the other to increase or decrease the overall length of the combined platforms, and wherein the length of said platform may be increased or decreased, regardless of the osition of the carriage and platform relative to the truck supporting surface.

2. ln-an industrial truck, avmai n frame,

supporting wheels dilid main platform and having downwardly ex- A a tending flanges adapted to embrace thefianges of the main platform, and means associated with said flanges of bdth platforms to limit the sliding movement between said platforms.

3. In an industrial truclr, a main frame having a low slung forwardly extending portion, a plurality of wheels arranged to sup port said frame including a pair of wheels at the forward end thereof, a vertically extending ideway mounted on said frame intermediate its ends, a carriage mounted for vertical movement in said guideway and having a forwardly extending member, a load supporting platform rigidly secured to the upper surface of said member and extending beyond the side and one end of said frame and provided with downwardly extending side and end flan embracingly are ranged relative to the e and wheels when the platform is in its lowermost position, a supplemental latform slidably mounted on the first-named platform to increase and decrease the length of the load supporting area of the carriage, said supplemental platform being provided with downwardly extending sides einbracin the sides of the main platform and provided with inwardly extending portions arranged to engage the under surface of the side flanges o t e. main platform, and a stop carried by the main platform'and arranged to engage the inwardly extending portion of the flanges of the supplementa platform to limit its sliding movement in one direction, and means including the end flanges of said platforms to limit the sliding movement in the other direction.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signature.

. EDWARD J. ABBE. 

